The Mentalist Season 4 Episode 15 “War of the Roses” TV Recap
In this episode, Jane and the CBI are called to investigate the murder of Natalie Gibecki, a twenty-seven youth counselor that was found strangled to death in an alleyway not too far away from the youth home she works at. Natalie was supposed to be out meeting friends, but Jane suspects she was meeting a lover by the way she was dressed and possibly a married one at that. While at the scene Jane receives a surprising call from Erica Flynn, the former professional matchmaker who killed her husband, calling Jane with the information that she knew Natalie and knows who her killer is, but in exchange for her help she wants a couple days out of jail to relive some of the freedom that she once had. Jane informs Lisbon of the phone call and Lisbon scoffs at the idea of letting Natalie, but Jane believes Erica can be useful. Lisbon certainly doesn’t believe that Erica wants to help out of the goodness of her heart, so it up to Jane to solve the case and figure out Erica’s true motives for helping, but can Jane do what needs to be done without being conned himself? Stay tuned!
Jane visits Erica in prison not long after the brief phone call to see what she knows. Erica explains that Natalie and she became very close when Natalie started first using her services. She says the Natalie was seeing her lover, this man for ten months and the she knew that he was married. She says that she is willing to help because Natalie was her friend, but she would like the reprieve to leave the prison for a couple of days. Jane gets Lisbon to agree who is not happy about this arrangement all, but does so, on the premise that they need to catch this killer. Once, the three leave the prison, Lisbon arranges for two agents to fall Erica and Jane at all times to keep a watchful eye on them both. As they are about to leave a limo arrives and Erica states that a friend arranged for a car to pick her up, Jane decidedly goes along with her, but a few moments later, Lisbon joins them as well knowing that it is not a good idea to leave those two alone together.
Meanwhile, Van Pelt and Cho have gone to Natalie’s work to see what information they can attain from her coworkers. However, Van Pelt does notice one of the youth counselors Danny, is harsh with the youths. Danny and another woman from the youth home both agreed that Natalie wasn’t seeing one. Also, one of the workers recalls that a teenager, Trent Matthews did leave the home a couple days before. Van Pelt and Cho go to Danny’s old high school the place he got busted for selling drugs before he was sent to the youth home. As the pair wait outside, they see Danny start a fight with some boy and take this opportunity to arrest him and bring him into station for questioning. Trent explains to Cho that Danny the counselor used to hit and beat the kids at the home and Natalie caught him in the act one day. Trent says that he never saw Natalie get so upset before. He even tried to break up the fight between the two counselors because it look like Danny was going to lose his temper. Trent says that he had to leave the home, for fear of what Danny might do to him in retaliation and that he would have never hurt Natalie because she was the only one that treated him like a person. After hearing this, Van Pelt checks out Danny’s alibi, it checks out, but she still goes to see him and scares the crap out of him telling him never to lay a hand on those kids again or else their will consequences.
When Van Pelt heads back to the CBI she checks in with Lisbon saying that she found out that Natalie went to Puerto Vallarta and is currently in search for Natalie’s camera hoping that pictures saved on the memory card might help them identify their mystery man or help reveal some part of the investigation. Erica has all of her documents brought to the CBI headquarters, looking at some old matchmaking videos of Natalie, hoping to learn any new information, but says that there is none. However, Erica does deduce that that since Natalie met her lover ten months prior to their matchmaking sessions, this would mean that one of Natalie’s coworkers, from her previous employement before the youth home, had to be her married mystery man.
Jane and Erica head on down to Casa Encantar, the nonprofit that Natalie worked at, pretending to be a couple wanting to volunteer. The two quickly drop their charade once they are introduced to the founder, Greg. He agrees that it is okay from them to look around and the two promptly start listing off the criteria that Natalie would have been looking for in her mystery lover as they walk around the offices narrowing down their office suspect pool. They both arrive at Richard Eldrige’s cubicle and come to agreement that this is their man, but Jane decides to make their new found piece of information a bit more interesting. He makes a bet that if Erica can get Richard to confess to the affair then he will buy her dinner. Erica agrees to the bet and gets Richard to confess in no time. The two go to dinner and then head back to Erica’s room, where things get heated fast as Erica tries to seduce Jane and does to the point that they kiss. Jane realizes the mistake he has done and leaves the room right away leaving them both in shock of the encounter, but leaving Jane more vulnerable than ever.
Jane heads back to the CBI next morning, in somewhat of a daze from last night, but notices Van Pelt looking at pictures of Natalie’s trip to Puerto Vallarta. Van Pelt says that these pictures don’t help solving anything, but Jane just takes them anyway. In the interrogation room, Lisbon is talking to Richard about his affair with Natalie. He says that he and Natalie had been together for about year, but the relationship had become strained when Richard was having a difficult time of finding a way to separate from his wife. He explains that Natalie broke off the affair two weeks ago, before her trip, but a few days ago she called him wanting to meet. He says that she was supposed to meet him at a bar, the night of her murder, but never showed. His alibi ends up checking out, but the question still remains who killed Natalie and why?
At the same time, Rigsby and Sarah go to their first Lamaze Class, where two are decidedly uncomfortable and are even more so when they have to say something about themselves and Sarah ends up “putting her foot in her mouth” and the class becomes incredibly awkward after that. Later on during the day, Rigsby proposes to Sarah in one CBI conference rooms, but Sarah says no explaining that they both that they are not ready for this type of commitment and that she is okay with that and from the look on Rigsby’s face, which is filled with pure relief, he is okay with it too.
Erica and Jane attend Casa Encantar’s Gala that the nonprofit holds every year to raise money to build clinics and orphanages around the world. Apparently, not only are Erica and Jane guests, but they are also going to perform an act for the prospective donors that will shock and amaze them by revealing their hidden secrets. For the act Jane needs four volunteers that Erica hand selects , one of which is Richard the other Greg. Richard is the first to take part; he must select two boxes out of the four that lay before him and then must choose one by focusing on the one that “spirits” guide him to with something of importance to him inside. The box that Richard has chosen had a necklace inside that he gave to Natalie to show his undying devotion. Jane thanks him for his participation and moves onto Greg. Greg goes through the similar motions, but inside his box is one of Natalie’s Puerto Vallarta photographs Van Pelt was looking from earlier. Greg says that he doesn’t recognize it, but Jane gets a bigger version to be displayed on the screen next to the stage. The photograph is the site of where the supposed Orphanage the nonprofit built a year before, but except there is no Orphanage. Cops take Greg back to the CBI where he confesses to Natalie’s murder. He explains that she got in contact with him when she came back from her vacation to show him pictures of the supposed Orphanage that he built. She wanted an explanation, but once she put the pieces together, that Greg had been embezzling he lost control and strangled Natalie to prevent her from ever talking or he would lose everything.
Back at the Gala, Jane informs Erica that he knows of her plan to escape by using her lawyer, whom the CBI already have in custody, to obtain fake documents passports and money for her to flee the country. Erica seems shocked and disappointed about having to return to prison, but accepts her fate. Agent Wainwright is on hand as a car is sent over to pick up Erica to bring her back to jail, but before she goes she gives Jane one last kiss. As the car drives away, another one pulls up in its place and two correctional facility officers explain they are here to pick up Ms. Flynn and take her back to prison. Looks like Erica was able to pull off a double con that no one, not even Jane saw coming.
In the end, Jane receives a call from Erica, who looks like she is somewhere seating near pool side giving a last goodbye to Jane. Jane tells Erica he will catch her and Erica responds she looks forward to that day. They both hang up and Jane just smiles, knowing that he will catch her one day, not today, but someday and that is all that Jane needs.
Originally posted in Affairs Magazine
